Monthly Archives: August 2015

Atlantic Hurricane Season: June-November

Are you ready to protect yourself and your family during severe weather? There is no ‘if’ when it comes to disaster striking. You should always assume that the worst will happen in order to adequately prepare for any potentially dangerous situation. As we are mid-hurricane season, it is important to be knowledgeable of the storms currently forming and how to be ready for the worst circumstances.

Plan Ahead

Prepare an emergency kit: Prepare this survival kit to last for at least 72 hours, filling it with food, water, first-aid materials, flashlights, etc. Keep in mind that basic services such as electricity, gas, water, telephone, and sewage treatment may not be available for several days, so your kit will need to contain items to manage in the worst circumstances. Make this kit handy so that you can grab it in a moment’s notice.

Check evacuation routes: Make sure you know where to go in an emergency. Don’t leave it for the last minute—print it now, laminate it, memorize it, keep it accessible for your family.

Have emergency arrangements:

Communicate with your family and establish a practiced emergency plan. Consider every aspect such as school, work, and extracurricular activities so that there is no guessing where your family will be after a disaster strikes.

If there is a bridge or flood area between your home and workplace or children’s school, designate a contact person near your home and children’s school to ensure they are taken care of if you aren’t able to get to them.

Designate a relative who lives out-of-state for the family to notify they are safe. Calling long-distance will be considerably easier than making a local call. Make sure everyone has this number memorized.

Complete a contact card for each family member, ensure they have a cell phone or prepaid phone, and designate ICE (in case of emergency) contacts.

Make friends with a neighbor and exchange information. The more people looking out for you and your family, the better.

Have a plan for your pets as well and pre-pack supplies for their survival, too.